Together with compatriot firm and globally active E&E specialist Siemens Energy, Evonik recently announced plans to build a pilot electrolyzer at its production site in Herne, Germany, to test the technology in industrial practice.

Now the company has sealed an offtake agreement with industrial gases and process plant engineering giant Linde to draw hydrogen for its production of methionine.

Under the arrangement, Linde will provide the renewable feedstock from a 9 MW alkaline electrolyzer plant it plans to build on Singapore’s Jurong Island, one of the main Asian chemical production hubs.

Evonik will use the gas to produce the amino acid that is one of the essential components of animal feed. The Essen-based company, one of the major methionine manufacturers, said the new supply agreement supports the planned expansion of its existing facility at the site and will help it limit greenhouse gas emissions in Singapore.

In addition to supplying Evonik, Linde said it intends to sell output of the Jurong Island electrolyzer to the local merchant market, in response to growing demand for green hydrogen, The once Germany-headquartered, now Ireland-domiciled contractor said the electrolyzer, expected to come on stream in 2024, will be the largest ever installed in Singapore.

Moloy Banerjee, Linde’s president for ASEAN & South Asia, said the project is an example of his company’s alignment with Singapore's National Hydrogen Strategy as well as its support of the country's goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Calling the capacity upgrade for methionine in Singapore “an important step for Evonik,“ Jan-Olaf Barth, head of the chemical producer’s Essential Nutrition Product Line, said that along with increasing its production capacity, the company will implement innovative new processes in close cooperation with Linde to improve process efficiency and reduce its carbon footprint.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist